The tradition of Evergreen Park Community High School seniors teaming up with first graders at Evergreen Park elementary schools to promote literacy continued this month when a pair of Mustangs visited Southwest, Northwest, Southeast and Northeast elementary schools in Evergreen Park Elementary School District 124.
EPCHS Service Club students Jonatthan Whiteside and Taylor Evans were the EPCHS student readers in what has become an annual project dubbed “Book Buddies.” Whiteside and Evans delivered already wrapped children’s books to the students at all four schools and read one of the books to each class.
“This was overall such an amazing experience and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Whiteside said. “Seeing the kids’ excitement as they opened their gifts was truly special.”
Book Buddies is the brainchild of EPCHS’ award-winning Learning Resource Center team of Dr. Tina Ward, media specialist, and Library Assistant Karen Hewitt. The pair started the program in 2018 because “we wanted every kid to have a new book to open on Christmas,” Ward said.
Evans said seeing the looks on the kids’ faces when they received the book was her favorite part of the experience.
“No matter what book they got, they were still happy and excited to get a gift,” Evans said. “I think this program is a great way to spread Christmas spirit, but also connect the elementary schools with the high school in a special way.”